The Legacy of the Paris Olympics

Cities hosting the Olympics usually spare no expense to make the games a memorable experience, and Paris is no exception. But have you ever wondered what is left of this massive investment in a game that only lasts over two weeks? What will be the legacy of the 2024 Paris Olympics besides the medals, the drama, and the wonderful memories? What about the infrastructure? Will the local population benefit?

In this informative video, Marie de la Place, professor emerita of urban planning at the Paris School of Urban Planning, discusses the héritage infrastructurel (infrastructural legacy) of the Paris games: 

Donc il y a certes un héritage, hein, infrastructurel

So there is certainly an infrastructural legacy, right

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A major part of the infrastructural legacy is le Village olympique et paralympique. But what will happen to it now that the games are over?

Et que deviendra, par exemple, le Village olympique et paralympique bâti sur cinquante hectares en Seine-Saint-Denis ?

And what will become, for example, of the Olympic and Paralympic Village built over fifty hectares in Seine-Saint-Denis?

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The Village was built by an organization called SOLIDEO, which had a bold vision: making the Olympics a sustainable enterprise that will benefit the local population once the games are over.

Alors le Village olympique, il a été construit par la Solideo hein, par la Solideo avec, euh... la prise en considération de la phase héritage, c'est-à-dire de la phase après les JO, hein

So the Olympic Village was built by SOLIDEO, right, by SOLIDEO with, uh... the taking into consideration of the legacy phase, that is to say, of the phase after the Olympics, right

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Indeed, SOLIDEO designed the Olympic Village not just for the athletes, but also for the people of the suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, who will inherit un certain nombre de logements (a certain number of housing facilities) that will go some way towards solving the local housing crisis: 

Donc le Village olympique permettra dans une certaine mesure de fournir un certain nombre de logements qui pourraient être destinés à des populations de Seine-Saint-Denis

So the Olympic Village will make it possible, to a certain extent, to provide a certain number of housing facilities that could be intended for people from Seine-Saint-Denis

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But first, the Olympic Village will have to undergo des travaux de modification (some modification work) before being livré (delivered) for public use at the end of 2025:

Je crois que le Village olympique devrait être livré fin deux mille vingt-cinq... puisqu'il y a tout un... des travaux de modification suite aux JO.

I think that the Olympic Village should be delivered at the end of two thousand twenty-five... since there is a whole... [lot of]... of... modification work following the Olympics.

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Some of the Village buildings will turn into logements sociaux (public housing) available for rent:

On évoque en moyenne autour de trente pour cent de logements sociaux.

We're talking an average of around thirty percent public housing.

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Other properties will be available for ownership: des logements en acquisition à la propriété.

Le reste, ce sont des logements en acquisition à la propriété

As for the rest, these are homes purchased for ownership

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However, these facilities will not be intended for les populations les plus défavorisées (the most disadvantaged populations), as they will come at much higher prices:

Et puis par ailleurs les logements sociaux  qui sont prévus ne sont pas des logements sociaux destinés aux populations les plus défavorisées.

And then moreover the public housing that is planned is not public housing intended for the most disadvantaged populations.

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With the sudden arrival of upscale residences, there is a concern that this may lead to gentrification. Will it still be possible to achieve la mixité sociale (social diversity)?

Est-ce que, pour résumer, ce sera l'occasion de plus de gentrification ou de réaliser quand même de la mixité sociale ?

To sum up, will this be an opportunity for more gentrification or for still achieving social diversity?

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Marie de la Place thinks that la gentrification and la mixité sociale are not mutually exclusive: 

Mais en même temps, si on attire des populations qui ont des revenus plus importants, eh bien, ça permet aussi une certaine forme de mixité sociale.

But at the same time, if we attract populations who have higher incomes, well, that also allows a certain form of social diversity.

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So far, the Olympic Games have offered an opportunity for a more coordinated effort between agencies that don’t usually communicate with each other, and there is hope that that will continue:

Ces JO ont été un outil pour finalement faire de la coordination entre des acteurs qui, jusque-là, ne se parlaient peut-être pas beaucoup

These Olympics have been a tool to ultimately create a coordination between agents who, until now, maybe didn't speak to each other much

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Indeed, the real challenge will be to sustain this coordination and create a long-lasting héritage organisationnel (organizational legacy):

Tout l'enjeu, c'est de créer un héritage organisationnel, c'est-à-dire... de faire en sorte que cette coordination qui a pu se produire au moment d'un événement comme les Jeux olympiques, eh bien, puisse perdurer dans le temps

The whole challenge is to create an organizational legacy, that is to say... to ensure that this coordination that was able to occur during an event like the Olympic Games, well, can last over time

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Only time will tell what the real legacy of the games will be, but it is worth noting that the Olympic organizers made a genuine effort to make these Olympic Games a lasting investment that will hopefully benefit the population of Seine-Saint-Denis.